Ansonia Police arrest juvenile in connection with social media threat

ANSONIA - On Saturday, Sept. 26 at approximately 9 a.m., the Ansonia Police Department received a report from an Ansonia Public Schools official regarding a threatening post made on the social media platform TikTok. The post referenced an Ansonia public school.

Members of the Ansonia Police Department immediately initiated an investigation. Through investigative efforts, officers identified the individual responsible for the post as a 12-year-old juvenile who had previously attended an Ansonia public school.

Investigators determined that the juvenile is no longer enrolled in the Ansonia Public School System and currently attends school in another Connecticut municipality.

As a result of the investigation, officers determined that there was no credible threat to the Ansonia Public School System, its students, or its staff.

The juvenile was subsequently arrested Monday, Sept. 28 without incident, and charged with:

• Threatening in the First Degree
• Breach of Peace

The juvenile was released into the custody of a parent and is scheduled to appear in Juvenile Court in Waterbury at a future date.

The Ansonia Police Department takes all threats involving our schools seriously. The Department will continue to work closely with Ansonia Public Schools and our law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate reports of threats and take appropriate action to protect the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.

No further information regarding the juvenile will be released at this time due to the individual's status as a juvenile.

All individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This is a press release from Lt. Alex Barreira. 

Ansonia Police respond to report of armed suspect at Ansonia HIgh School

UPDATE at 1:45 p.m.: All schools are safe, no threat was found. The "swatting call" is under investigation.

Multiple school systems have received similar threats today in Connecticut. Schools will be dismissed on normal schedule per the Ansonia Superintendent.

ANSONIA - The Ansonia Police Department is responding to a report of an armed suspect at Ansonia High School.

The school has been put into lockdown. Officers on scene are reporting no issues at the school and this is an apparent "Swatting" call. There have been multiple calls of this nature throughout the region today.

Officers are also checking each of the schools in town.

This is shared from the APD's Facebook page.

Police arrest girl, 13, for making threat that closed Ansonia Public Schools

ANSONIA - Ansonia Police received a complaint at about 6:40 a.m. today about a threat to the Ansonia Public Schools posted on social media. 

The Ansonia Board of Education was notified and a decision was made to cancel school. 

The Patrol Division and Detective Bureau were able to interview several potential witnesses. 

During the interview process a 13-year-old female confessed to making the post and she was arrested, Lt. Patrick Lynch said in a written release.

 

The juvenile was referred to Juvenile Court for Threatening First Degree and Breach of Peace Second Degree.

Chief Wayne Williams commends the actions of the Ansonia Police Department’s Patrol Division and Detective Bureau for their quick response and coordinated effort to secure the schools and investigate the threat.

Working in conjunction with the Ansonia Board of Education and Superintendent Joseph DiBacco, we would like to release the following statement to all the parents and guardians:

"Please speak to your children about how to communicate (i.e. email, social media) in an appropriate manner. Please know that all threats to our schools or students are taken very seriously and are investigated thoroughly.
We encourage parents to speak with your child about making the right choices and the potential consequences of their actions.

"Tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 20, the Ansonia Public Schools will resume a regular schedule of classes. We appreciate your help as we work together to keep all of our students safe and help them make positive choices for themselves and our community."

This is a press release from Lt. Patrick Lynch.

Ansonia police arrest 2 more students in Monday's social media threat

ANSONIA - As part of the continuing investigation into the social media threat Monday involving a student at Ansonia High School, two more students were arrested, Lt. Patrick Lynch said late today in a release. 

During the course of the investigation, additional threatening messages were discovered and the involved students each admitted to their involvement in the messages. 

A 16 year-old male student and a 14 year-old female student were arrested; each was charged with Threatening First Degree and Breach of Peace Second Degree and they were referred to juvenile authorities.

 

The Ansonia Police Department strongly urges all parents to speak with their children about the importance of understanding what they say and the effect it can have on not only themselves but also all the people around them. We encourage parents to closely monitor what their children are doing online.

This is a press release from Ansonia Police Lt. Patrick Lynch.

 

Social media threat forces lockdown of Ansonia High School; juvenile arrested

ANSONIA - Ansonia High School was placed into lockdown today after the Ansonia Police Department’s School Resource Officer stationed at the school was notified at 11 a.m. of a threat made on social media towards the school. 

Working in conjunction with the Ansonia Board of Education the school was placed into lockdown and students were safely dismissed from the school. 

During the investigation, a suspect was identified and placed under arrest. 

The suspect, a 14 year-old male, a student at the school, was charged with Threatening First Degree and Breach of Peace Second Degree and referred to juvenile authorities. 

This was an isolated incident, Lt. Patrick Lynch said in a written release.

Dr. Joseph DiBacco, Superintendent of Schools, released the following statement: 

“Ansonia Public Schools in collaboration with the Ansonia Police Department will not tolerate any behaviors/actions that put our students, staff, and community at risk. Today’s response was to an Ansonia student’s actions; swift and immediate action will be taken - the appropriate consequences will be administered up to and including expulsion and arrest.”

This is a press release from Ansonia Police Lt. Patrick Lynch.

Ansonia Police, State Police, FBI probe threat to blow up AMS; nothing found

ANSONIA - The Federal Bureau of Investigation contacted the Ansonia Police Department at about 11:45 a.m. to report they received a complaint that a person threatened to blow up the middle school, Lt. Patrick Lynch said in a release late Friday afternoon. 

After consulting with the Ansonia Board of Education, a decision was made to send home the Pre-K students, all other students were on a remote learning day. 

The decision to send the students home was done out of an abundance of caution. A check of the school inside and out by officers and staff did not reveal anything suspicious. 

Bomb sniffing dogs were also used to check the school and nothing was found.

 

With the assistance of the F.B.I. and Connecticut State Police, all the people involved were located and interviewed. 

The investigation showed there was on ongoing neighbor dispute where one neighbor alleged that during a verbal argument the other neighbor said they were going to blow up the house and middle school. 

The accused neighbor cooperated with the investigation and denied making any statements about blowing up the school. 

No evidence was found to substantiate the initial claim and no arrests have been made.

This is a press release from Lt. Patrick Lynch.

Ansonia Police seek information on posting of possible threat